HOME >> HELP >> BACKSLIDE

This is not an easy grind. If you can royale then you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you can't do a royale then learn that first.

Start with the royale grind. First, approach the curb from your natural side at a medium speed. Jump just like you would for a royale, and start grinding like you would a royale. If you can do this with confidence and without problems, then as you are grinding try bringing your front foot off the curb. Do this only slightly at first. As you get more confident, start doing it further and further until you can grab it. Continue practicing this way until you can skate up to the curb and from the royale lift your foot off and grab it. When you can do this without any problems, you are ready to start backsliding properly.

To land in a backslide position, you must not be afraid of landing with your foot boned over onto the side. Unless you are one of those people who have their skates really loose, you can land just about any grind (disaster or whatever) and not break your ankle. You will probably break your ass, but don't worry about that at the moment. Skate up to your curb slowly. By the time you have practiced all the above you should have a nice groove in your skate. As you jump for the curb, bring your royale foot underneath you and bend the knee out to the side. Remember to keep it locked in so it won't slip out from under you. As you jump, grab your front foot for style. This also serves another purpose - balance.

If you don't slide, you probably aren't boning your ankle over enough. If you slide too fast, and your royale foot goes out from under you, you are grinding on the side of your boot too much. If you get it right, keep going until you are confident with landing it each time.

To exit, simply use any royale or frontside type exit. In other words, twist your body sligtly so your foot comes off the curb, and at the same time jump a little. This will have you either going backwards or forwards, depending on which way you twist.